Multiple anti-abortion laws seek to challenge Roe v. Wade
May 28, 2019
Several pieces of legislation regarding abortion are appearing across the United States with the intention of overturning Roe v. Wade.
On May 15, Alabama’s government passed an abortion ban, with no exceptions for rape or incest.
This law is the strictest piece of abortion legislation in the United States, according to The Hill. It also directly challenges the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade.
Roe v. Wade was a landmark court case in 1973 in which the Supreme Court established a women’s right to have an abortion.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said, according to CNN, the law is made with the intention of having the Supreme Court revisit Roe v. Wade.
Ivey said, “Many Americans, myself included, disagreed when Roe v. Wade was handed down in 1973. The sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit this important matter, and they believe this act may bring about the best opportunity for this to occur.”
Several other similar pieces of legislation have recently been signed into law. On May 7, Georgia’s governor signed the “heartbeat” bill into law.
Georgia’s “heartbeat” law makes it so people are unable to get abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detectable, which occurs roughly around five weeks.
In April, a similar “heartbeat” law was passed in Ohio. According to CBS News, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood are currently suing over it.
Other states which have passed laws limiting abortion include Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah. The laws in Kentucky and Mississippi have been blocked by federal judges, according to The Hill. Idaho, Louisiana, New Mexico, and South Carolina have abortion bills under consideration in their legislators.